Hit The Ground Running
by NinjaBambi13
Summary: Adopted sibling plus four brothers equals... a pretty weird life. oh...btw, their mutants.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Hey, readers, this is my first published piece of work, so bear with me. I hope you guys enjoy it and I hope to continue it ASAP. FYI, italics are thoughts and sometimes memories of the characters… I'll try to make sure it's easier to determine which ones are thoughts and which are memories. **

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

_**Chapter 1**_

BAM! I hit the ground hard, moaned, and got back up._ Gotta keep going… Gotta fight…_ I jumped up, grabbing a rung of the fire escape ladder, and climbed up to the roof. "Heads up!" I automatically ducked, narrowly dodging a flying body. I got up and rejoined the fray, striking my opponents with powerful punches and bone-crunching round-house kicks. "Kai! Raph! Out of the way!" I looked up, a mistake. While distracted, I earned a harsh kick in the gut, sending me smashing into a brick wall. I grimaced, holding my sides, trying to control my spinning mind. I opened my eyes to see two of our opponents stalking towards me. I forced myself to stand and prepared myself for yet another fight. _Two against one… Seems about fair._ They lunged at me and two more joined our fight. I dodged and jabbed in calm, swift movements, but before I knew it, I was way outnumbered. I soon found myself getting clipped by their blades more often, the new cuts stinging as we fought on. I unsheathed my sparring knife and tried to do some damage, but one of the enemy managed to wrap a whip-like chain around my wrists, and another around my ankles. They pulled forcefully, causing me to not only fall flat on my stomach, but drop my last weapons as well. _…Crud… I'm a little screwed… Not as fair as I thought…_ I struggled to get loose so I could stand, but I was stuck and surrounded. _This is going to hurt… A lot…_ I thought as I squeezed my eyes shut and felt the chains tightening around my bound wrists and ankles. "Haiya!" I opened one of my eyes to see that my allies had jumped in to help me and were taking the enemy out one by one. The two holding the chains began to drag me away. I struggled, trying to slow them down or get lose, but it was no use. "Where do ya think you're goin'?!" One of my allies, Raphael, was suddenly in front of the two who were pulling me and began fighting with them. Donatello was next to me within seconds and began trying to free my bound hands and feet. "You okay, Kai?" He asked as he fiddled and untangled the chains. "Yhea, love the feeling of harsh roofing…" I said sarcastically. He looked at me skeptically. I gave off a sideways grin. "I'm fine Donnie." I said. He looked as if he didn't completely believe me, but he dropped it. He helped me up and let me lean on him for support. Even though I hadn't checked yet, I could feel that my ankles were cut and bruised from the chains and the fighting. Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo were just finishing up the remaining Foot Ninjas, ninjas under the command of Oroku Saki, aka, the Shredder.

Let me try to catch you up super quick. You probably already know this, but my name is Kai. I am a fourteen, almost fifteen, year old girl. I am about five feet tall, have blonde-bronze hair that goes down to bottom of my upper back, I have brown eyes with orange-brown rings around my pupils, I'm tan, well-toned, freckled, and I've been told I have a perfect smile. Why are we fighting ninjas and why New York? To make things short, we live in New York and to make things shorter, my brothers and I aren't your everyday people… See, Leo Donnie, Raph, Mikey, and our adoptive father, Master Splinter, aren't even human.

I'm going to let that settle for a moment. (… … … … *sigh* … … … …) Settled? Okay, so we have four mutant turtles and a mutant rat. Me? I'm all human. How'd I get mixed up with the rogue petting zoo? I started life with a loving mom and dad who died in a fire. Sad, but true. We lived in New York which is way freaking far away from my relatives. (They lived in New Mexico, Colorado, and California….) I was put in foster care, which you can sort of guess didn't go very well. You're right. They used to beat me or not feed me or make me sleep in a cage. Pleasant people, huh? The second I could fight back, I did. I got out and began to try to find a place to stay, age eight and a half. I was spotted one day by a group of Purple Dragons, a gang of jerks, who chased me down into the sewers. I only knew how to kick-box, and only a little at that. When I was cornered and had no way out, I thought I was doomed. You can probably guess what happened next, but I'll tell you anyway. Master Splinter jumped in and saved me. He brought me to my new home and that's where I met my new forever family. There's more to this story, but I'll save that for later. What I need to know now is that what happened to me and my family. You're lucky Raph let me let you read this. So I expect that you will respect what I have to say. If not, you and I may go for a few rounds. See how you feel later. Nah, I'm joking. But seriously, if you have some sort of problem with what I say keep it to yourself. Can't do that, I suggest you go ahead and put the book down and find something else.

If not…

Proceed.

PS… If they come for you… We'll probably come save you. Just sit tight.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Hey, readers! Thanks for sticking with me so far. Okay, so here's the second chapter. I hope you guys enjoy, and feel free to review if you'd like. If any of you have any advice for me, please do share your knowledge Thanks! Oh yhea, italics are thoughts, memories, etc. so just about business as usual.**

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 2: Good or Bad Apples?**

It was another average day: wake up, go to school, go home… I walked down the street, making sure nobody was following me. I ducked into an alley, opened the manhole, and climbed in, closing it after me. I silently landed from where I had jumped the last five feet or so and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. I listened for any noises, but when I heard nothing, I continued. As I walked through various twisting tunnels, I plugged into my ipod to pass the time. I felt my phone buzz and rolled my eyes, pausing to answer my older brother's text message.

_Leo: Hey, where are you?_

_Me: On my way home. Duh._

_Leo: Kai, where are you?_

_Me: Relax. I'm in one of the main tunnels. Don't get your shell in a tangle. I'll be home soon._

_Leo: 'Kay_

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, looked around, and continued walking home. I came to a giant, open room where flood tunnels were emptied into. It had constant flowing water falls and at the bottom of the huge, deep room was a giant turbine which always turned. If something were to fall in and hit the turbine, it would be destroyed in a matter of seconds. I carefully walked along the narrow edge and, when I was close enough, jumped down into a lower tunnel. I paused to turn off the music and put it away. I grabbed my bag and headed into the even darker tunnel. It was cold and damp, causing a small shiver to run down my spine. I shook it off and continued walking, my eyes straining to adjust to this new darkness. After walking for a while, I suddenly heard a noise. I kept walking as if I had heard nothing, but it came again. On the inside, I smiled. I knew exactly what was making the noise. I took a step and the second my foot hit the ground, I ducked and kicked towards the left, dodging and kicking someone to the side. "Ow!" Mikey said after he'd landed on the ground. I gave him a smug smile. "You missed." I said as he got up. He huffed a bit as we opened the secret entrance to our home. "How? I tried sooo hard!" Mikey whined as I put my pack down. "Huh, I don't know, maybe it has something to do with me being awesome?" I taunted, jokingly nudging him with my elbow. "Nu-uh…" He pouted. I smiled and walked to the kitchen. The usually dirty-dish-covered counters were clear and it smelled of lemons and dish soap. _Huh… Someone actually did the dishes for a change… _"Welcome home, Kai. I trust you did well in school today?" I turned to see my sensei, Master Splinter, approaching. "Hey, sensei. Well, it was boring, but I tried my hardest to stay tuned in and not wreck the place…" I said, opening the fridge and rummaging around for a snack. "Hey, Mikey? You seen my apples anywhere?" I called, closing the fridge and searching the kitchen. "I think Raph ate them." He called back. I frowned, my eye brows furrowed. "Again? Gosh dangit! Why can't he eat your chips or Don's… Why can't he eat your chips?! Why my apples?" I stormed out of the kitchen, grabbed my bag and went to my room. I tossed my bag next to my desk and fell back into my bean bag chair, arms crossed and eyes closed, trying to get rid of the dull head ache I had slowly developed throughout the day. _Why doesn't he bug Don or Leo? …wait… Doesn't he though?_ I mentally rolled my eyes. _He owes me another batch of apples. …Who am I kidding. Keep dreaming, Kai._ I heard a soft knock on my door frame. I opened my eyes to see Leo. He smiled and came in, sitting down next to me. "Don't let Raph get to you over some apples." He jokingly smiled. "I know… But… I saved up for fresh apples and he ate them all." I said, rolling my eyes. Leo sighed and got up. "C'mon. Master Splinter wants to work on our split kicks." He said as he headed out the door. I got up and followed. I caught up and walked beside him. He put a hand on my shoulder and smiled. "Just clear your mind, I guess. Master Splinter says that when you're frustrated, your mind becomes clouded and confused, and that leads to more frustration." I nodded. "Don't let the little things control your mind." _Okay… Easier said than done._ Master Splinter was in the dojo with stacks of planks of wood by his sides. _And so it begins… My hammies are gunna hurt tonight._

Raphael checked to see if it was clear to cross the street to get to Casey's apartment. The sun was quickly setting, and he wanted to drop by Casey's before going home. When he saw an opening, he quickly crossed the street, hoping the big trucks would provide enough cover. As soon as he got in a safe, dark, alley, he exhaled, enjoying the fresher air. _I love going top side…_ He quietly climbed up to Casey's window. He perched on the fire escape railings and gently knocked on the window. Casey opened it and let Raph in. "Hey, Raph, what's shakin'?" "Getting' some air… Stretchin' my legs…" "Keepin' your distance from Kai?" Casey said as Raph threw away a few apple cores. "What's with you two anyway?" Casey asked as he sat back in his chair. Raph plopped down on the couch. "Nuthin's up." Raph said casually. Casey gave him a skeptical look. "What?" Raph protested. "Well, I'm just sayin' you two are buttin' heads more than usual. I don't think this is all about the apples like you was sayin' the other day." "So? How is that your problem anyways?" Raph said. "Just wonderin', man! Chill!" They had gotten up and were in each other's faces. "…You're right…" Raph said plopping back down on the couch. "What?" Casey asked, confused. "…It's more than just the apples…" Raph said, finally giving in. They sat in silence for a bit, Raph staring at the ground and Casey glancing out the window or at his friend. "She's just… I don't know… I don't want any of 'em getting' hurt… Especially her." Raph said after a while. "Raph, she's not even a full year younger and she knows how to stand up for herself." Casey said, trying to be gentle about the way he said it. "…She's still my little sister… And I'm her older brother. I can't even stand the thought of them in pain… I…" He rested his head in his hands, covering his eyes. Casey didn't know what to say. "…Raph, you don't have to worry… I know you wanna protect her, but you gotta let her do her own thing or she won't learn. Or worse, she may fight it and become something bad." Silence engulfed the room again. Raph stood up, thanked Casey, said good-bye, and headed out.

"Kai, you must kick wider with your right foot." Master Splinter said. I sighed and tried again. "Again." So I did it again. "Again." He said as I landed. My temper was heating up as I became even more frustrated. Raph walked through the lair's door as I jumped up to try again. I jumped up, tried to split kick, and, just my luck, landed on Mikey's skateboard. "Wha-?!" I stammered in shock as I slid and fell backwards, hitting the ground with a harsh thud. I moaned and just sat there, my eyes shut. I was in pain, very frustrated, and trying to get through the shock waves of pain that were still racing through me. My head ache was suddenly way worse and I felt like I just wanted sit there and cry, but I could never cry in front of the guys, or they'd make fun of me. "You okay, Kai?" Leo asked. I forced myself to sit up and open my eyes. I groaned as I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. Leo knelt beside me. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He held his hand in front of me. "Three… Six?" I said, my vision a little blurry. Raph came over, and even though he was trying really hard not to, he looked really shocked and concerned. Leo gently felt the back of my head where I had hit first. I winced and bit my lip as he gently pressed the really sore spot on my pounding head. "You've got a nice goose egg, Kai." "Michelangelo, what is this doing in here?" Master Splinter asked sternly, kneeling next to me and placing a gentle paw on my shoulder. Mikey poked his head out of his room. "Oops… I guess I forgot to grab that. Heh heh, sorry bro-dette!" He said and disappeared back into his room. Raph and Leo helped me stand up. I swayed back and forth a bit, and my head felt like I had just landed on a brick floor…. Which was pretty accurate…. Accurate down to the very last point. "Let's get some ice on that bump…" Leo said as he and Raph walked with me to the kitchen, watching me like hawks. I didn't like that feeling, but I wasn't going to complain. My head hurt too much to fight back. I sat down at the table in the middle of the kitchen and Raph sat next to me as Leo went to fetch a bag of ice. "Here you go…" He said as he gently placed a bag of ice on my sore head. I winced and held the ice there. "That is enough training for now." Master Splinter said as he walked through the kitchen and towards his room. "Hai, Sensei." Leo and I said in unison. As we heard Sensei's door close, Donatello walked in. "Hey, guys, guess what! I was looking through some stuff and-" He stopped talking and stared at me as the three of us stared back at him. "What happened?" "Kai's awesomeness happened." Mikey teased as he walked in the kitchen. I glared at him and he smiled, placing a plate of snacks on the table. He sat next to me after gently nudging me, giving me an apologetic grin. "No, really? What's with the ice?" Don asked setting his bag on the table and sitting down next to Raph and Leo. "We were practicing split kicks and Mikey's skateboard was in the dojo…." Leo started. "And one thing led to another and… You can guess the rest, right?" Donnie nodded as I put the ice down. I crossed my arms on the table and rested my head on them. "It's fine, though." I said, staring at the plate of snacks. Raph and Mikey had already started to make a pretty big dent in the snack and Don and Leo joined in. I got up and started heading to the lair's door. "Where are you going?" Raph asked, standing up from the table. "I'm going top side. Maybe the air will make my head ache go away… and I wanna hang with April for a bit. Maybe visit Mirikami." I said as I pulled on my hoodie. I felt a hand on my shoulder, startling me. I pulled my head through the hole and looked into Leo's eyes. "I don't think you should go on your own." "Why not?" I said defensively. He knew I hated being told I couldn't do something by myself. "It's just that the Purple Dragons or the Foot could spot you and—" "And what? You don't think I can take care of myself." I said, glaring at him. "No—" "Basically." Raph broke in standing in the door way so I couldn't get past him. I was about to protest big time when Donnie was suddenly right there. "Kai, I would like to make sure you don't have any sort of concussion so if you do go top side, you won't black out or something weird like that." He took me by the arm and was trying to gently pull me towards his lab. "Donnie, I'm fine. And I can, too, take care of myself, Raph." I said pulling back against Donatello. "And you're not the boss of me." _How'd you like __them__ apples?_ "I kinda am." He replied. "Kai, you're not going top side until Don checks out your head and even if you are, you're not going alone." Leo said sternly. I was about to argue with Leo when Mikey showed up and gently nudged me towards Donnie's lab. "C'mon, Kai." He said. I growled under my breath as Mikey, Don, and I walked to Donnie's lab. While Donnie was looking around for his flash light to check my eyes, Mikey and I sat on the examination table. "Why don't they trust me?" I asked him. "It's not that they don't trust you, it's that they don't want you to get yourself into a dangerous situation." Mikey responded and then took a bite of pizza. "But I could definitely stand up for myself! I know I could." I said as Donnie walked back in. "We know you can, we just worry. You're our only little sister, Kai." Don said. "Look straight forward…" I followed his instructions as he shown the light towards my eyes. "You're eyes are good… Stand up and try to balance on one foot, bend over, touch your foot, and stand back up…." I stood and tried to balance on one foot and toppled over a little bit. I glared at the ground as I tried again. I failed three times before Donnie finally stopped me. "I think you're going to have to wait until your balance comes back before you go top side in general." Mikey had left the room and was just getting back as I sighed, frustrated and angry. Mikey walked with me to the living room and we sat down. "This officially sucks!" I sighed, slumping down in the couch. "Maybe later your balance will come back and then we can go for some pizza." Mikey said, gently nudging me with his elbow. I sighed and stared at the blank TV screen. "…Wanna play some Black Opps?" Mikey said after a long silence. I turned to face him. He had a wide smile on his face that was contagious. I grinned and nodded. "Sweet!" Mikey sprang up and started setting up the TV and gaming systems. I stood up, wobbled a bit, and walked to the kitchen for some snacks and drinks. When I returned, Mikey and I sat down and began playing our game. Eventually, Leo, Don, and Raph were sitting around watching and cheering for us as we cleared level after level of waves and scores of countless zombies and other opponents. Hours passed by, and our older brothers had gone to bed as well as Master Splinter. Mikey had turned on the radio and a movie. "Ready for a pizza run?" he asked as he turned out the lights. "Wow, you really got this down, huh?" I said as we went to the dojo to grab some weapons just in case. He nodded with a big smile and picked up his nun-chucks. I grabbed my brass-knuckled gloves, throwing knives, and my favorite surujih. "Ready?" Mikey whispered. I nodded. "Okay, let's split."


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Hey, guys, so this is the next chapter. I know I haven't really been up to date on a lot of stuff, but hey, I'm in high school. ;) So, yhea, I hope you guys are liking my work. You probably do if you've been keeping up with all of this, so I really appreciate it. Thanks a lot! Oh yhea, italics are thoughts, memories, etc. blah blah blah. ;)**

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 3: Raph…Was right?**

We stealthily snuck out through the door, making sure not to trip one of the alarms Donnie had set up and quietly made our way through the various tunnels. Mikey lead the way and quickly located the closest man-hole so we could surface. When he saw it was clear, Mikey surfaced, helped me out, and closed the man-hole. We breathed in and smiled at each other. "How often do you do this?" I asked as we got to the roof tops. "Whenever I get hungry for pizza or want some fresh air… Or a new video game, or comic books, or horror movies—" "Seriously?" He nodded and smiled. We raced across the roof tops, flipping and leaping and striding, just having a good time. Mikey was the easiest of everyone to talk to for me. We were closest in age and spent a lot of time together. He was the only one I could really talk to on a very personal level. He's the only one who's seen me cry from emotions. "And here we are!" Mikey said, breaking into my thoughts. It was almost 9:45pm and Jay's Pizza closed at 10pm, so as soon as we wrote down what we wanted, Mikey split to grab some other stuff from a grocery store and I climbed down a fire escape ladder and went inside. I ordered our pizzas and other snacks and paid with the money Mikey had given me. I also grabbed a comic book for Mikey. "Thank a lot!" I said as I left with all four pizzas, two chicken wing orders, and a liter of Dr. Pepper. I had put the candy bars and Mikey's comic book in my hoodie's pocket. I casually walked into the vacant alley we had decided on and waited for Mikey. I cleared a spot on the ground close to the shadows and set everything down. _Aw crap…_ I pulled out my phone and texted Mikey.

Me: I forgot cups. Wanna be a doll and get some?

Mikey: Mwa? A Doll?

Me: Yes you, doll. :P

Mikey: Yes, your royal highness ;) chocolate or vanilla ice cream?

Me: chocolate. With whip

Mikey: Cool. Be there soon

I smiled and put my phone back in my jeans pocket. It was quiet, almost peaceful, if New York City can even be described like that. I closed my eyes, getting lost in my thoughts. I snapped out of it when I heard the crumple of someone stepping on a stiff newspaper. I quietly pushed everything into the darkest corner and hit with it, listening as footsteps approached almost silently. _That was too fast to be Mikey…_ I stared silently at the three figures who appeared at the mouth of the alley. I inwardly gasped. Foot Ninja. They stopped and looked down the alley. _Just keep going… Please, keep going…_ I tried to re-adjust my position to see better, but accidentally stepped on an empty soda can, crunching loudly. I mentally freaked out, my eyes getting huge and an adrenaline rush bursting throughout my being, chills running down my back. The ninjas stood, frozen in their steps. They began to make their way towards my hiding spot. _…It's just three… And Mikey should be here soon…I can do this._ When one was close enough, I lunged out of my hiding place, taking the ninja by complete and utter surprise. He let out a shocked wail, but I knocked him down and out easily. The other two came at me, so I tried to take them down. As we fought, I noticed mare were coming. _Aw, crap. Shoulda stayed it the shadows._ I took out my surijih and finally knocked the two out. By then there were twenty or more Foot Soldiers surrounding me. _Sorry Mikey… Gotta leave the chow._ I threw a ninja smoke bomb on the ground and ran like all get out to the fire escape ladder, scrambling up as fast as I could. _Raph…was right! I should've stayed in the shadows and waited for Mikey!_ I ran across the rooftops and heard the Foot following close behind.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Hey guys, here's chapter four! Enjoy! Italics are thoughts, memories, etc. Yup. That's about it. **

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 4: I'm so screwed!**

Mikey arrived at the meeting place and looked around. "Kai, I'm back." He waited for a response. "Kai? …You hidin'?" He suddenly heard a groan and spun around to see three downed Foot Ninjas and some of Kai's throwing knives. "Kai?" Mikey stepped back and on a candy bar. He looked down to see all of their order just sitting there. _Aw, crud._ Mikey dropped everything and pulled out his shell cell.

Leo's shell cell rang loudly, waking the eldest turtle from his sound slumber. He groaned as he reached for his ringing phone. "Hello?" he answered, yawning. "Leo, uh… We got a problem. A BIG problem." It was Mikey. "Mikey, if you ran out of popcorn again, make more yourself." Leo said rubbing his eyes, irritated. "Uh… Let's think a little bigger… Um… Kai and I kinda split to get pizza…" Leo's eyes widened as he processes this new information. "Please tell me you just forgot some money." Leo said as he exited his room and walked down past all the rooms. "…Do you want the truth or a lie?" "Where are you guys?" Leo asked walking into the living room and shutting off the TVs. Raph walked in, extremely irritated. "Leo, talk quieter when we're—" "WHAT?!" Leo almost dropped his shell cell. "What do you mean she's gone?!" "Leo?" Raph said, walking over to Leo. "Okay. We'll be there soon. Keep looking, and if you find her, text us." Leo hung up. "Find who? April?" Raph asked. "Kai's gone. She and Mikey were making a pizza run." Leo said, walking quickly to the dojo. "Grab Don." He entered the dojo and grabbed his katanas, Raph's sais, and Donnie's bo staff. He headed back to the living room and caught the sleepy Donnie up with the situation. He handed his brothers their weapons and they headed out as soon as Donnie had packed his brown duffle bag just in case. "When I said she couldn't go up without one of us, I meant she should take one of us, not Mikey! I don't even let Mikey go without one of us, the little sneak!" Raph growled as the three ran through the tunnels. "I just hope they're okay." He said under his breath. Leo glanced at Raph in agreement. "Let's go find our little bros!" (AN: They usually call Kai their bro. She's a girl, but a bro. Cool?)

I bit my lip, trying not to scream as I felt a sword cut into my back, upper right to lower left. I spun around and sucker punched the ninja right between the eyes and turned back to fighting the two I was fighting before. I shot out my surijih and caught one of the Foot. I pulled back with all the force I could muster and all my weight, smacking him into five other Foot. I flicked my wrist, unravelling my weapon and catching the blade's handle with my free hand. I quickly rolled it and hooked it back onto my belt as I began to run for the next roof. My phone started to ring, so I answered. "Hello—" My legs got tangled by a weighted net. I slammed into the ground, the wind knock out of me as I hit and rolled. I struggled against the net, pulling and tugging. "Aw, son of a—" "Kai?! Hello?!" I reached for my phone. "I'm here!" I said, struggling to get a throwing knife out of my netted pocket. "Kai, what's going on?! Are you okay?! Where are you?!" Leo's frantic voice slammed, question after question. "Leo, I need help! I'm stuck and the Foot—" Someone's sudden shadow startled me. I looked up to see the Elite Foot Ninjas, four really, really advanced and experienced ninjas from the Foot Clan. "I'm so screwed. I'm gunna die!" I whispered, forgetting Leo was listening. "Kai?! Where are you?! Talk to me!" "Leo, I—" The Elite Ninjas surrounded me, and one brought up his blade. "HELP!" I cried out as he brought down the blade.

"HELP!" Leo's phone as on speaker phone as the three brothers heard their little sister cry out. The line broke, which probably meant the phone had been dropped and ended the call. They sat in shock. "Don, can you track Kai and Mikey's phones?" Leo said, shaking off the shock. "Uh…" The stunned turtle mumbled. Raph grabbed his shoulders and shook him back and forth. "Donnie! Snap out of it!" Raph shouted, scaring his younger brother. "Y-yhea! Lemme just set it up…" Donatello shook off the shock and put his nimble fingers to work, hooking up a portable satellite dish to his shell cell. Five signals popped up on the screen momentarily. "This one is Mikey… And that one is Kai's. Here we are…" Donnie said, pointing out the color coded, blipping dots. "Okay. Mikey's closest. We'll go find him and then go after Kai." "What?! But Kai needs us NOW!" Raph protested angrily. "We need as much power as we can get, which means we need Mikey, too. He's closer. We go there first. Let's go!" Leo ordered.

"How 'bout that? A foot in a Foot!" Mikey said as he performed a successful side kick, nailing one of the ninjas square in the chest, sending him flying into some other Foot Ninjas. He fought and tried to get around another group to get back to looking for Kai. _I wonder if that pizza is still warm. I am huuuunnggry._ He barely dodged a punch. _…Focus you doof! Kai needs you and you're thinking about pizza!_ "Haiya!" he shouted out as he ran up a wall, did a back flip, and split kicked the two ninja pursuing him. "Ha! Sweet!" He said, throwing a punch in the air. Suddenly, a giant hand clamped around his wrist. "What the?!" He was slammed against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. "H-hey, Dog Pound." He said, using the wall to help him up. Dog Pound, previously Chris Bradford, stood towering over Mikey and growled. _This just might take a little longer than I thought…_ He continuously tried to get past Dog Pound, but he ended up losing his nun-chucks and was cornered. Dog Pound swung his giant paw, hitting Mikey with enough force to make him crack the wall. "Ow…" Mikey whispered as he tried to stand. Dog Pound laughed as he raised his paw and brought it down for the final blow. "Oh, no you don't!" Don and his bo staff came between the paw and Mikey's head, blocking the powerful blow. Leo and Raph attacked from the back and Donnie attacked from the front, being a barrier between Dog Pound and Mikey. The three eldest stood in front of Mikey and Leo threw down a smoke bomb. Raph and Don helped Mikey to his feet and the four quickly disappeared. When they were safely on the roof, Don gave Mikey a quick look over. "You okay, Mikey?" Leo asked as Mikey sucked in air when Donnie pressed on his arm. "Y-yhea. Never better." He said, smiling. "Mikey." Raph said aggressively. "I'm fine, Raphie boy. We gotta find Kai." He said standing up. He swayed and fell back into Donnie's open arms. "Woah… Trippy, dude." Mikey said, trying not to wince. "Mikey—" "I'm just dizzy. C'mon." Leo didn't believe him, but he knew they had to get to Kai. "Alright, but hang back if you feel too 'dizzy'. We've got your back, little brother."

The blade grazed my arm, cutting my flesh and hoodie as I rolled out of the way. _Ow!_ He swung again, but I managed to move one of the weights in the way. The netting cut and I was able to get loose. I jumped up and into a hand stand, swinging my legs like a propeller to recover some space. I landed on my feet and took a boxer's stance, fists in front of my face, balanced feet, and a blank glare on my face. I dodged a katana and tried to punch back, but as my brass-knuckle landed a hit, I was swept off my feet by a harsh blow to the back of my knees. _What am I gunna do… What am I gunna do?!_ I frantically tried to keep my balance, but landed hard, flat on the ground, just like I had earlier while training in the dojo. _Son of a mother goose! What the freakin' shell?! Why?!_ I held my hands over my forehead, eyes tightly closed. "A pity, really, that your pathetic brothers aren't here to save you." My eyes shot open my heart skipped a few thousand beats. _I lied… NOW I'm screwed._ I stared up at our worst nightmare, the one thing I was never to encounter… I gulped silently. _The Shredder…_


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Chapter 5! Italics are thoughts, memories, etc. Cool! Oh, yhea! I think I'm gunna try the POV thing to make things a little easier to distinguish who's talking. **

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 5: I'm Sorry**

_Donnie's POV_

"We're getting close!" Donatello said as the four ran and jumped amongst the rooftops. "Are you sure?" Raph said impatiently. "Yes. See?" Don pointed to is phone's screen. "And you can kind of tell, what with all the downed Foot." He said, gesturing to the fallen Foot Soldiers. "Look!" Mikey said, pointing down to the ground. The four looked to see Kai's cell phone. "Well, this is great. We found her phone, but where the shell is she?!" Raph said angrily, picking up the phone and tossing it to Donatello. He caught it and put it in his duffle bag. Leo sighed but was suddenly frozen, eyes wide. "What's up, fearless one?" Raph said aggressively. "Shh! Listen!" The four went silent and heard a fight being fought somewhere close by. Leo turned his head, listening. Donatello squinted his eyes in the same direction. "There!" Leo exclaimed, pointing at a distant group of Foot. "Let's go kick some shell and get our little bro back!"

_Normal POV_

"RRRGH!" I slammed against the brick wall and hit the ground. My head was spinning and my vision blurry, but I forced myself to stand and face my enemy. "You should stay down, just as your worthless master." The Shredder taunted. I broke. "Shut up you stupid heap of scrap metal!" I shouted as I ran at him. He tried to slice me with an upper cut, but I dodged, round-house kicked his knee cap, harshly punched his gut, and swept his foot out from under him. The Shredder fell but stood again quickly, so I took a defensive stance. _This is so much harder than I thought it would be… It was just three stupid Foot Ninja!_ I was breathing hard and felt myself sway uneasily. "KAI!" I quickly turned to look at who was calling my name. "KAI! LOOK OUT!" Mikey and Donnie screamed, frantically pointing towards the Shredder. _Aw, crap!_ I heard Shredder's "claws" cutting the crisp air and turned to look at him again. I let out a cry of pain as his blade cut into my abdominal area, sending me falling flat on the ground. I curled up, holding my gut, trying not to cry. I was exhausted and all of my cuts and bruises burned like I was being stung by millions of flaming wasps. Hot tears threatened to roll down my face, but I blinked them away as I tried to stand, getting up on my hands and knees. The Shredder brought his foot down on my back, harshly pinning me down to the ground. "Weak! See how well you have been trained? Your master must not care for you, letting you slip by with such poor training." He picked me up by the back of my hoodie and threw me to the ground near a ledge. I couldn't get up, let alone move. "Kai! NO!" I forced my eyes open and watched as my brothers fought the Foot Soldiers, trying to get to me. I stared into Raphael's eyes, tears starting to roll down my cheeks. "R-Raph… I… I'm s-sorry…" I stammered, closing my eyes and silently crying. "How touching." Shredder mocked. He glanced at my brothers, enjoying their frantic fights to get to me, wanting to keep me safe. "Let's see how far we can push your pathetic, reptilian brothers." He brought his foot down hard on my forearm as he grabbed my wrist. He laughed as I screamed when he began pulling my wrist up, slowly breaking my arm. "Get away from her you good for nothing, disgusting, jerk!" Raph brought his sais down on Shredder, cutting through the metal armor and causing him to stumble backwards, still gripping my wrist. He held his shoulder and smiled. He quickly hauled me up on the ledge. I was breathing hard, trying not to pass out from the pounding, unforgiving pain in my heavy, lifeless arm. "Tell you worthless master I said 'hello' and that I am looking forward to taking the rest of your pathetic lives." With that said, I felt him push me and there was suddenly nothing under me. I heard my brothers scream my name and Shredder laughed as he and his men retreated. I didn't have enough energy or strength to try to stop my decent or to even scream. _I guess this it… I'm sorry Raph… Good bye, Leo… Donnie… Mikey… I'm sorry sensei… I am a failure…_ All I could do was fall and wait for the ground to break my fall.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Here's chapter 6. Italics are thoughts, memories, etc. You know the drill. Enjoy!**

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 6: I've Got You**

_Raph's POV_

"KAI!" I raced to edge and watched my sister, my baby sister, beaten and bruised, falling. "Don! Rope! NOW!" He quickly tossed me the closest surijih, Kai's, and I jumped down after her. "Hold on, Kai! I'm coming!" I soared down to her, thankful that the building was extremely tall. I wrapped my arm around her torso as best I could and threw the surijih's blade, digging it deeply into the building's wall. We swung towards it and I planted my feet firmly on the wall. "Raph!" I looked up at Leo and nodded. I had Kai safely in my arm. "Hold on! We're gunna get you two up soon!" "'Kay, but hurry!" Leo disappeared. I looked down at Kai and pulled her up on my extended legs, not letting go of her small form. "Kai?" I said softly. She didn't respond. I looked closely at her and saw how bruised and beaten she was, inspecting her hoodie, face, and neck. _Oh, my gosh…_ My heart sank as I heard her shallow breathing. "Leo! Hurry it up!" I shouted angrily up to the ledge. "R-Raph…" I looked down, startled. Kai shifted painfully. It suddenly came to me when she kept uncomfortably shifting. "It's okay, I've got you. I'll never let you fall." Kai was very afraid of things like free-falling or being in water that looked like a bottomless pit. She couldn't handle not having any sort of sense of control. All that was keeping us safe was the surijih in my hand which could slip at any time, and she knew it. "You don't have'ta be afraid. I've got you, sis." I said, gently tightening my grip of her. "I-I'm sorry…" I looked at her and saw tears streaming down her delicate face. I was shocked. Kai never cried. At least, never in front of anyone but Mikey. "Kai, you didn't do anything wrong! Don't worry, Donnie'll have ya all fixed up in no time flat." I was scared for Kai. She's never been so hurt before and she never cried. "Kai, you're gunna be okay, 'kay? Just hang in there." She tried her hardest, but she passed out. _Kai…_ I felt something warm on my legs. _What the shell?..._ I moved Kai over a bit to see what it was. I nearly let go of the surijih, I was so startled. "LEO! Hurry! Kai's bleeding out!"


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Hey, guys! Chapter 7! I have it all written down… Now to transfer it. ;P While I'm supposed to be paying attention in classes like government or math or biology, I write in that journal. I hope you guys are enjoying these chapters… I like writing them. Anyway, here you go! Italics are thoughts, memories, etc. You know the drill. Enjoy!**

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 7: I Did This**

_Don's POV_

When we got Raph and Kai back on the roof, Raph was covered with Kai's blood. "Oh, my gosh…" I mumbled, staring at Raph and then at Kai. I didn't have nearly enough stuff in my duffle bag for this, but I patched her up as best I could. We quickly headed back to the lair, but on the way, Mikey passed out. It kills me to see my siblings, especially my little siblings, in enough pain to make them pass out. "I'll prep the stuff! You two set 'em on those tables." I said as I ran to the back of my lab. I swung open the medical closet-yes, I have a CLOSET full of medical stuff that I restock almost weekly—and grabbed gauze pads, cleaning towels, band aids, and just about everything under the sun that I thought I would need. I ran back and we began cleaning up our little bros. "Leo, call April and see what blood type she is… No, wait… Call both Casey and April and have them come on down. We need all the help…and not so help we can get." I hated saying 'have Casey come', but it if April didn't have the right blood type, Casey might. I put pressure on Kai's deep gashes on her torso, but no matter how many rags and gauze pads I used, she bled through them almost instantly. _Not good! At this rate, she might already be beyond shock! I might have to defibulate!_ "Raph! Hold these pads! Put pressure on them. I've gotta get some equipment." Raph quickly came over and did as I asked. I ran ad grabbed the difibulator, the heart monitor, and quickly got back to stopping Kai's bleeding. I hooked her up to the heart monitor and had Raph put more gauze pads down. I gently opened Kai's left eye and shone the flashlight. Her eyes weren't dilating like they should. _No!_ "Well?!" Raph said impatiently. "She's already past the first stages of shock. We gotta stop that bleeding fast!"

_Leo's POV_

Leo gently worked on wrapping Mikey's injured arm. He had taped up and covered the cuts and bruises that covered a lot of his baby brother's body. "Leo, we're here!" He glanced towards the living room. "Hey, we're in here!" he called. April and Casey quickly filed in. "Donnie and Raph are in the back with Kai. Hurry… She was losing a lot of blood on the way here." April nodded and made her way to the back of the lab. "How's Mikey?" Casey asked. "…He's still out cold… He got pretty badly beaten by Dog Pound and some of the Foot. He cracked the wall with this arm hitting first from one of Dog Pound's blows… He probably fractured his arm pretty badly and he most likely has a concussion." Leo said, pointing out his little brother's various injuries. Casey nodded solemnly and then walked to the back of the lab.

_April's POV_

"Donnie?" I walked quickly over to the taller turtle and gasped when I saw Kai. She was bloody beyond belief and looked pale, almost lifeless. "April! Good! What blood type are you?" "Uh…I'm not really sure…" "Okay. You come with me. Casey?" Casey entered the room. "You come with us." "Why?" "We need to find out what blood types you guys have. C'mon! We can't waste time!" We raced to a small counter where Donnie quickly tested our blood. "…Okay…" he said as the data loaded. "…M'kay… It looks like… Thank goodness! Casey, come with me. We gotta get a band on your arm so there's more blood in your arm for the transfusion—" "Okay, let's just do this before I feel any sicker." He said, holding his stomach and looking a little pale. "What do I do?" I asked, walking with Casey and Don. "Help Raph with Kai's gauze pads. She's going through them like a fire does magnesium and—" "Got it!" I said, grabbing an armful of gauze pads and speed walking to Raph.

_Mikey's POV_

My head was pounding and I could barely move. _Augh… What the shell happened?_ I squinted my eyes, trying to see through the blinding light. "Augh…" I moaned as I shifted, pain tingling through my aching body. "Mikey!" I flinched, the loud voice hurting my head. "Woah, dude… You don't have to scream…" I said, lifting my left hand to shield my eyes from the light. "You had us scared, bud. You okay? How do you feel?" Leo asked in a quieter tone. "I'm great. I love the feeling of being hit by a bus and crushed under bricks." I said sarcastically, grinning through the pain. Leo rolled his eyes and reached up to open the valve of an IV stand a little more. I scanned the room, confused as to where I was. "…Hey, Leo?" "Yhea?" "What am I doing in Donnie's lab and why am I hooked up to an IV?" I asked, following the IV's medical cord to my left wrist. Leo looked a little taken aback, but commenced to explaining the situation. Everything suddenly came back to me like a harsh kick to the gut. "Oh, my gosh! What have I done?!" I said, horror-stricken. I sat up quickly and tore the IV out of my wrist, startling Leo. I swung my legs over the edge of the table, ignoring my screaming body. I tried to stand, but fell flat on plastron, all before Leo could react. I let out a pain filled yelp and Leo was quickly beside me, trying to get me to hold still and calmed down. "Mikey! Stop! You're gunna hurt yourself more! It's not your fault!" "Who brought Kai to go get pizza even after Don said no?! Huh?! Who left her ALONE?! Who shoulda told you we were headin' out?! I did, Leo! I did! And now Kai is paying for it! I saw her Leo! She might DIE because of me! She could DIE!" I shouted, tears racing like a flooded river from an endless source down my face, seeping into my cuts. It stung, but I didn't care. I had sat up and was leaning against a nearby cabinet, burying my face in my knees. "I did this…" I repeated in a whisper through my tears. "I did this…"


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Chapter 8, dudes! I'm kinda psyched! I have lots written down and I have a lot of time to transfer. Three words: Humanities Field Trip. Anywho, here it is! Hope you guys like it! Italics are thoughts, memories, etc. Enjoy!**

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 8: Memories**

_Casey's POV_

"Okay…There. Now, don't pull on it and if you need anything, we're right here. Just take it easy." Don said as he hooked my arm up with the weird blood whatever he called it. Then, he, Raph, and April continued to work on Kai. I stared down at my small, young friend. My heart ached as I took in all of the bruises that spotted her arms and face as well as her clothes which were stained deep red, almost black, from her blood. April was still working on slowing down the bleeding which had finally slowed down a lot. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, if she didn't have any left or if they had actually started to stop it. Don didn't say much, he just worked. I sighed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about how I had first me Kai.

_(Flash back…)_

"_C'mon, Casey, let's go! They're getting' away!" Raph called to me as we raced to our cycles. We chased down the Purple Dragons and cornered them. "What'd I tell you Purple Dimwits about takin' from other people?" Raph said, enjoying makin' 'em squirm. They gave him a mischievous smile, and before I could speak up, Dog-Pound came down on us. Leo and the others had been tailing him and jumped in to help us. Unfortunately, all four managed to get captured and caged by Dog-Pound, Xever, the Elites, and a whole lotta Foot. "Casey! Go to that old abandoned warehouse near the museum! Remember? That place I showed you? Call for 'Kai'!" Mikey said while he was still conscious. Soon after, he passed out like all his brothers had previously done. When nobody was watchin' I limped over to my cycle as quick as I could and headed to the abandoned warehouse Mikey was talking about. I had to maneuver and avoid the Purple Dragons, but I eventually lost them and made it to the warehouse. It was completely dark inside, but I dismounted and limped towards the fence encircling the building. "Hey! Kai!" I called out loudly, searching for some sort of sign that someone was there. Nothing. "Kai! Get out here! Your brothers need ya!" I waited. Nothing happened. I growled and kicked the fence, turning to get back to my cycle and wondering what I was gunna do. Suddenly, I heard the roar of a motorcycle behind me, so I spun around in time to see a figure on a sweet black and electric blue bike jump the tall fence, land on the road, and skid to a halt. He wore a matching set of riding clothes and a black helmet with electric blue flames, just like his bike. His gloves were black and so were his boots. "You rang?" He said, his voice like daggers. His helmet was very tinted, so I couldn't see what he looked like, but I could tell he didn't have a shell of any kind. "Y-you… __You're__ Kai? You're not a turtle!" I said, my jaw dropped. "And you aren't either. What, you never seen a human before? Let's cut the small talk. Where're my brothers?" "They… Well, you see—" He held up his index finger, signaling for me to stop talking. "Just show me." He said harshly and impatiently. I could tell he was related to Raph for sure. I mounted my bike and we sped off. We ended at the Purple Dragon's hideout. "These guys should know where Dog-Pound took 'em." I said, dismounting. Kai dismounted, walked up to the door, and tried jiggling the handle. It was locked. "Here, let me—" He backed up and round-house kicked the door in. "—try…" He entered quickly and soon after, I heard shocked voices, crashes, and saw a chair fly into the wall closest to the door. I ran in to see five down and Kai cornering the leader, menacingly holding a bladed whip of chain, swiftly spinning it like a pro. The leader took a swing at him, but Kai caught his hand in his glove, turned him into a chicken wing hold and quickly a double chicken wing, and harshly shove him up against the wall. "Now, you're going to tell me where I can find something of great value to me and you're going to tell me now. If I don't like the answer, I'll snap your shoulder back. You better talk quick, as in now, or I'll kick in your knee caps and crack your elbows backwards." He said, his voice like icy blades piercing the air. Shivers ran down my spine. None of the guys ever came up with threats like that, and this was practically improv. The leader resisted and, surprisingly, Kai followed through, slowly pulling down and back on the guy's shoulders, pushing the rest of him up against the wall with his elbows. "Okay, okay! I'll talk!" The leader cried out in pain, almost begging for Kai to stop. Kai stopped abruptly and the guy spilled everything, not wanting to test Kai's patience again. "If I find out that you lied to me…" He shoved the leader against the wall. "You'll pay with your life." With that, Kai dumped the guy in a heap and we headed out. I walked a little farther away from Kai, which he confirmedly noticed with a somewhat evil snicker. "That was… Wow, you—" "We have to hurry. As soon as we leave, that worm is sure to squeal. We won't have enough time. Keep up or be left behind. Let's move." I nodded and quickly followed Kai's lead as we raced off towards the secret base the Purple Dragon had told us about and I hoped it was the right one. Shredder had many bases all over the place. We parked, hid our bikes, and silently… Erm… Kai silently, I clomped over to the closest wall. He still wore his helmet, but I could tell he was scowling at me, irritated. "Shh." I nodded. "Here…" Kai handed me a pair of climbing claws and slipped on a pair of his own. We scaled the wall, Kai more quickly than I did. There was a locked door and security was still on. "Don't worry, I—" He shoved his hand over my mouth. "Shut up, meat head!" He whispered, pointing to the security camera. Whoops. He shook his head as he pulled out a can of black spray paint and quickly jumped out, covering the camera lens with the sticky, smelly, black, paint. He pulled out his cell phone, plugged it into the power box, and hacked the security feed. "As of now…" he clicked a button. "We are invisible." He picked the lock and we entered. We walked down a long hallway and passed many empty rooms. We peered down a second hallway and Kai glanced in an open door. It was the security room. He made a plan, and good one at that, reminding me of Leo. I took out the guards and Kai searched the many security camera screens, scanning for the guys. "There." I heard him plug in his phone and watched as he downloaded a floor map, labeling where the guys were. "Let's go." Kai navigated the many floors and we took out guards as we went. When we came to the guys' cell, Kai leaned down to inspect the lock, only to suddenly shoot back up. "Hide!" he hissed. I quickly stumbled back into an open room and closed the door. I watched Kai scale the wall and hang not even an inch from the ceiling. A Foot Soldier passed by, checking for anything out of the usual. He stopped in front of the guys' cell and looked in. That's when Kai released the ceiling and knocked him out before ever touching the floor. He looked at me and face-palmed. "You doof! That's a detention cell!" he hissed at me. I tried the handle and found that he was right. I shrugged with an embarrassed grin on my face. He shook his head as he knelt down and searched the fallen Foot for keys. He found them and tried a few on my lock, eventually unlocking it and opening the door. "Shell fer brains." He said under his breath, walking over to the other cell. "Hey, make yourself useful and lock that sucker up." He said, gesturing to the Foot. I wanted to protest, but when I opened my mouth, he stared at me. I still couldn't see his face, but I could feel the death glare he was giving me. It felt like he was burning two holes in my soul. I did what he said and he got back to flipping through each key. He tried the sixth key and heard the click of the lock. He opened the door and peaked in. "You did it! Goongahla!" I exclaimed loudly. He spun around. "Shut up, ya dork! You gotta be quiet!" He whisper-shouted. "Oh… Right. Sorry." We entered the room and found the guys chained off of the ground to a wall. "Guys! Oh, jeez! You okay?" I said, running up to Raph. "Casey?" Raph murmured, regaining consciousness. "How'd ya get in?" He looked around and his eyes landed on Kai. "Kai!" he said, a little shocked. "In the flesh." Kai responded as he began picking the cuffs' locks. When he had unlocked them, Raph landed on his feet. He chuckled quietly, inspecting his wrists. "Thanks, sis." My jaw dropped open and my eyes grew larger than a Thanksgiving turkey. "Sis?!" Raph looked at me, confused, but then laughed, shaking his head. He and Kai unlocked the others, my jaw sill agape, and I was still shocked beyond belief. I had been outdone, outsmarted, outwitted, out-just-about-everything by a girl! "C'mon, Case! Snap outta it an' help me with Donnie." I tried to shake off the shock and did as he said, picking up the young turtle and carrying him fireman style. Raph had Leo in a fireman's hold and Kai had Mikey piggy-back style. We made our way through the maze of hallways, evading the guards as best we could, which was surprisingly really well. We made it to the bikes and Leo had regained consciousness a few seconds after getting there. He was a little confused as to what had happened, but Raph had filled him in quickly. "Okay… Casey and Raph, you take the others back with Kai. I'll walk." He let go of Raph who had been supporting him and tried to take a step, only to collapse on the ground in a heap. "Uh-huh. Sure." Kai said, folding his…her arms. "No, __this__ is what's gunna happen unless you wanna start a fight right here and now. I'm perfectly unharmed, so I'll be faster. You three take the bikes and I'll meet you back at the lair. If __ANY__ of you scratch my bike or somethin', you're dead." Kai said. She took off her helmet and shook out her hair. It landed on her shoulders with no sign of helmet hair whatsoever. She was amazing; her eyes were like a fiery blaze, her skin looked soft and the perfect tone, her freckles lit up her eyes making her look feisty, and, and…..She was real pretty. A lot less intimidating than what I thought she would have been as a he. She put her helmet on Mikey's head and pulled out two spare helmets from the seat compartments. She tossed one to Leo and strapped the other on Donnie. "Kai, I can't let you—" "Leo, I'll be fine. I'm a ninja." "Actually, you're a kunoichi… You're a girl." "Well, I could pass as a dude… Casey over there was __convinced__ up until Raph had to go ahead and say 'thanks __sis__'. …Quit starin', shell fer brains." She said, rolling her eyes at me. I blinked and quickly looked at the ground, my cheeks feeling a little warm. Raph laughed and gave my shoulder a shove. "Aw, shuddup, Raph." I said, handing him my spare helmet. "Leo, I promise. I'll be careful. …This time… I have my phone." Leo sighed and thought. Suddenly flood lights blared on, shining down on us. "Don't let them escape!" Dog-Pound roared as Foot Ninjas began running out. "Okay, fine! But you __have__ to be there in an hour, or I'm gunna find you and—" "Good, good! I got it! Don't break curfew! See ya!" She said, tossing him the keys and then running deeper into the woods. (Unlike most of Shredder's bases, this base was closer to a forested area.) We raced away on the bikes, Leo and Donnie with me and Mikey in front of Raph. When we got back to the lair, Leo and Raph patched everyone up and put their little brother's to bed so they would stay asleep and comfortable. Leo came back to the living room and would __not__ stop pacing and glancing at the clock. "She's got five minutes…" he grumbled nervously. Four minutes passed by and Leo was beyond nervous. "Ten seconds…" He mumbled, reaching for his katanas. Mikey groggily entered the room and watched as Leo started walking towards the door, shell cell out and ready to call Kai. The door suddenly opened and Kai casually walked in with a bag of pizzas and sushi. She was a little startled to be face to… Chest… With her older brother. She looked up and smiled at the shocked, blue clad turtle. "Heya." She said, gently pushing past him. "You stopped for __food__?!" Leo exclaimed, raising his hands in the air to emphasize he was really unhappy. "Heck yes." She said, high fiving….and threeing Mikey as she passed him to the kitchen. "Surprised you didn't think o' that. You know me." She said, smirking mischievously at Leo._

_(End of flashback)_

"_Casey…"_

"Casey…"

"Casey! Hey, wake up!" I felt someone shaking my arm. "What?" I asked, wearily opening my eyes. "You fell asleep… I detached the IV. You're good to go." Donatello said as he helped me to sit up. He handed me a juice box and had me drink it. I did as I investigated my arm. "And…Kai?" The others gathered around and waited to hear what Donnie had to say. "…Well… We stopped the bleeding and thanks to you, she has enough blood in her system to start producing new blood cells herself again… She still hasn't woken up, but when she does, she's probably gunna be way outta it. She's still getting over some of the shock and I have her on A LOT of morphine… That probably won't even stop a lot of the pain she's in… She also has a pretty bad concussion, but other than that… She should be fine." He said. I glanced over to Mikey who had sank his head and was staring at his feet from where he sat in a chair. He looked absolutely miserable. His balance was off because of his concussion, so he couldn't walk around well without help. His right arm was fractured, so he couldn't really grab onto something to support him other than one of his brothers. Leo helped him up and walked him to his room so he could try to get some rest. Everyone split to do different things. Don went to clean up the remaining blood and wash his equipment. April went to see Masta' Splinta' and make some tea or somethin'. Raph and I walked into the room Kai was in. She still looked pretty bad, but Donnie and them all did a real good job fixin' her up. Raph was about to say something after he had sat down when Kai shifted uncomfortably. "R-Raph?" Her voice was softer than a whisper. He quickly leaned towards her. "It's okay, Kai. You're safe now. I'm right here." He said softly, gently putting his big, green, muscular hand, the hand I've seen slay many opponents, the strong hand that constantly hit things with forces great enough to break bones… He put his tough, strong, green hand on Kai's small, bruised, fragile hand with the force of a feather floating down through the air, landing with almost no force. _Raph…_ "I-I'm s-sorry…" Her eyes were shut tight from pain and a small, fragile tear slid down her beaten face. "Shh…" Raph gently coaxed, being careful about wiping the crystal-like tear from her delicate face. _To think such tender, gentle hands could belong to a tough guy like Raphael…_ He pulled his chair closer and leaned his elbows on Kai's bed, not wanting to leave her so she wouldn't get scared. She shifted to her side, obviously in pain. "Kai, you shouldn't move around too much. You know how Donnie is about—" Visibly in pain, Kai grasped Raph's hand as best she could and gingerly rested her head on it. "I-I l-love you, Raphie…" She whispered as another tear slid down her cheek. I left Raph and Kai when she had fallen asleep. I reflected back on my memories as I walked to the living room to sit down. Kai and Raph… They always butted heads or were arguing… But the stronger memories were of when they'd fight side by side or busting heads or racing cycles, doing crazy tricks and insane leaps… They always have had a special bond… I treasure those memories the most and am thankful I have gotten to have them as friends.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own any form of TMNT except for my OC(s).

**Hey, guys! So I'm here sitting at school on a freaking Saturday. :P At my high school, if you don't 'do good enough', you get sent to the horrible, freezing cold rooms, boring as heck, four hour long session known as Saturday School. :P I hate it sooo much! Anyway, I thought I'd take the time ('cause I have just about nothing to do here…) to type up this next chapter and maybe scribble down some more ideas of what to do about chapters 11-15. I mean, I have freaking four hours! …Well, three now, but that's still a lot of time. Cool. I've ranted enough. ;P Hope you guys like this next chapter. Here ya go! Italics are thoughts, memories, etc.**

_**Hit the Ground Running**_

**Chapter 9: I won't be too late**

I sat up quickly in a cold sweat, adrenaline pumping through my veins. The momentum of sitting up caused me to fall sideways off of the medical bed and land on my stomach. The floor was hard and cold as I landed, and it really hurt to fall on, but I quickly sat up and listened for anyone coming. I was breathing hard, but sighed when nobody came. I had had a nightmare. My body ached as I used the medical bed to help me stand. I grabbed the crutches Donnie had given me and quietly hobbled to the computer. I couldn't remember how I had gotten so hurt, but I had somehow broken my forearm, severely sprained my right ankle and pulled the IT-band in my knee on the same leg, had huge gashes on my stomach, and another on my back. Don had told me I had a concussion and that I'd remember sooner or later, but I wasn't very sure I wanted to remember. I checked the time when I got to the computer. The little clock in the bottom right corner of the computer screen said that it was almost three in the morning, two fifty. I sighed and made my way to my room. I sat on my bed and held my torn up hoodie. Leo had washed it and said he'd have April or Casey get me another one. I had also wanted to keep this one. It was one of my favorite hoodies and this one had tear marks where the gashes on my back and stomach were, which meant this was what I had been wearing when I got hurt. _Maybe…I was juggling chain-saws? Hmm… Tripped and fell? …Did something to Spike? No…I'd be dead if I messed with Spike… What did I do? Why can't I remember?_ I sighed in frustration and put the hoodie away and grabbed my dark blue, hooded, jacket. I pulled it on, carefully slipped on my shoes, and saw my phone. I grabbed it and the crutches, quietly heading out. I needed some fresh air. Maybe my mind would clear up and I'd find some answers. I walked past Raph's room (my room was between Mikey's and Raph's, Leo's is to the left of Raph and Don's is to the left of Leo's) and silently opened the door enough for me to peak in. I felt a wave of relief as I saw my older brother sleeping peacefully, completely unharmed, Spike curled up next to him. I quietly closed the door and made my way to the door. I had to be extra quiet while passing the dojo because if I wasn't, Sensei would definitely notice and I'd get in trouble… I don't know why… They just don't like me going outside for some reason. _Psh… What could possibly go wrong? It's not like I'm gunna go get lost. …Now…Where's the door?_ I quietly left the lair, only the soft tapping of my crutches hitting the ground echoing quietly off of the sewer tunnel walls. As I slowly made my way through the confusing sewer tunnels, I thought about my nightmare. It was just…so real…

_Flash back…_

_Leo, Don, Mikey, and Raph were walking through some building, looking for something. "Hey, guys, let's go this way." I said, sneaking through a doorway. "Kai, wait! It's a—" I turned to face my brothers as a giant cage fell, landing around me. I was caught. I ran to the bars and cried out for help. "Leo! Help! I'm stuck!" "Don't worry, we're coming!" he said as they ran up to me. I stood back as they began attacking the steel bars, trying to break me out. "Almost got it!" Leo said, continuing to strike the bars and creating sparks. Suddenly, a shadowy figure came up from behind them. "Raph! Watch out!" I shouted at him. I shouted too late. The figure smacked Raph and he landed flat on his plastron. He tried to stand and the others turned to try and fight the new threat, but they were caught. The figure had them tied up to a wall and began beating them. Their cries of pain and the sound of the figure breaking their bones or cutting them rang through my ears. I clung to the bars and screamed for him to stop, to leave them alone. "Stop it! Stop! Please! LEAVE THEM ALONE!" I couldn't look away. It felt as if an invisible force was making me watch my brothers. They were slowly and painfully dying before my eyes and I could do nothing. "No! STOP!" I kept screaming. Then, with the last fatal blows, my brothers were released and fell harshly to the floor, bloodied, bruised, broken, and lifeless. Mikey looked up at me with glassy eyes that said, "Why didn't you help me? Why did you just watch?" "I couldn't! I couldn't do anything! Mikey, please, don't leave me! Don? Raph! Leo?!" Mikey's eyes dimmed and froze in a stare, looking blankly ahead at nothing. "No…" I fell to my knees, staring at my dead brothers. "What have I done… I should've listened!" I punched the bars and cried for my brothers. I was all alone now. Nobody to be with, no one to love or be loved by… I was trapped and alone… Suddenly, I felt a frozen breeze fall on the back of my neck. I tried to move, but then I heard the bone chilling voice of our captor, paralyzing me. He laughed in my ear, sending chills down my spine. He was amused by my suffering. "This is because of you. You are the cause of this."_

_End of flashback…_

I shivered and zipped up my jacket, taking in deep breaths, trying not to cry. What would I do if that had actually happened? I would be nothing… I could do nothing… _Heck, I __am__ nothing without them…_ I came to a ladder and stared up. I mentally face-palmed as I realized how far the climb was. _What was I thinking? I can't climb ladders! I can't even get on the stupid medical bed without help!_ I growled and huffed under my breath about how stupid I was as I thought about how I could get up, unaware I was being watched from a distance. _This is pointless… Even if I could make it up, which I can't, where would I go? I don't even remember how I got here… Leo's gunna be real mad… Way to go, Kai. You went ahead and let yourself get lost…_ I sighed and turned to try and find my way back home when I heard a pebble fall in the sewer water. I froze, staring at the ripples in the water. I looked up, searching for the source. I squinted my eyes and two red eyes stared back at me. My heart skipped a beat as the figure stepped into a lighter spot. A giant, red, scaly fish with robotic legs was walking towards me, a toothy grin worn on his scary face. "Well, well, well… What do we have here?" the fish said. I didn't know who he was, but something in my stomach clenched, rendering me unable to move. "To think one so hurt would wander around alone. Where are your brothers, eh? Don't they know where you are?" _How does he know my brothers?_ I went cold and stumbled back against the wall. "Aw, what's the matter? You afraid if me?" he taunted, stalking forward. I closed my eyes and quickly shook my head, snapping out of my frozen state. My eyes shot open and I quickly slung the crutches at him, hitting his head and tangling his legs. I turned and ran as fast as I could the other way, my body aching as I moved. I heard his metallic footsteps following me. _Gotta get Leo! Gotta find somewhere to hide! I'm gunna be in so much trouble… Don's gunna kill me!_

_Don's POV_

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock. Time to check on Kai and Mikey. I yawned and forced my tired body to get up. I quietly entered Mikey's room and felt a small wave of sadness rush over me. Even in his sleep, Mikey looked miserable. My heart ached for him. He was worried about Kai and thought it was his fault, no matter how many times we told him it wasn't. Kai just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Neither of them could've known that there were Foot Ninjas lurking around, scouting for us. Neither of them could've known there was an ambush waiting for the unlucky one or two of us, but Mikey wouldn't accept that. He felt fully responsible for what had happened to Kai. I sighed and carefully unwrapped his arm and made sure the splints were still in the correct positions as I gently rewrapped it. I replaced the tape and band aids with new ones, checked his temperature for good measure, and pulled the covers more fully over him. I gently place my hand on his forehead and then left. I closed his door quietly and walked towards my lab. I turned on the dim lights so I could find some equipment and make my way to Kai. I picked up my first aid kit and some other materials like my clip-board to make status notes and turned to see if Kai was still asleep. I jumped up, startled, dropping everything in my arms. It all made a huge crash as a lot of it knocked things off the counter and on the ground, the metal first aid kit echoing loudly. I stood in shock, eyes wide, mouth agape. Kai was gone. Leo and Raph ran in, a sleepy, groggy, Mikey trudging in behind them, yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Don, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Leo asked, alarmed, gently shaking me by my arms. "K-Kai! S-she's g-gone!" I stammered in a whisper, still staring at the empty medical bed. She had recently been able to move around by herself, accidentally burning herself in the kitchen or forgetting simple things like where the dojo was or even what weapons were hers. She's even forgotten to eat sometimes, but out of all of these incidents, she's never forgotten that we didn't want her to leave the lair. She never tried to leave even if we told her not to. She never had had a reason to leave. "We've gotta find her!" Leo said. Raph had left to see if he could find her in the lair somewhere, but came back empty handed. "Her jacket, shoes, and phone are gone. " "So are her crutches." I said. I quickly packed my duffle bag while Leo and Raph searched for flashlights. "Okay…Mikey, you should stay here in case Kai comes—" I turned to find nobody there. "Mikey?... Mikey?" I called for my little brother. No reply. Leo and Raph came in with some flashlights. "I told Sensei we would be back—" "You guys seen Mikey?" I asked, interrupting Leo. Silence. _…Aw shell…_ "Great… Now we have two missing bros! Seriously! We gotta tie bells to 'em or somethin'! This is ridiculous!" Raph exclaimed as we headed out to find our little siblings.

_Mikey's POV_

_Hold on, Kai! I'm comin'!_ I quickly walked through the dark tunnels, shining my Silver Sentry flashlight down each tunnel, searching for my lil' bro. I froze when I spotted Kai's crutches, one really dented and the other broken in half. She must've ditched 'em for some reason. I stared up the long, long, long ladder they were nearest to. _She couldn't have made it up… I wouldn't be able to make it up and she's more hurt than me. _I took a step and immediately noticed there was a small dip where I had stepped. I looked down to find a familiar foot print. "Aw, shell!" I said under my breath as I followed the footprints. I ran through the twisting tunnels, ignoring the pain as I cut a corner too close and slammed my fractured arm into it. _I'm coming, Kai! I won't be too late again!_

_Normal POV_

"Who are you?! Why are you chasing me?!" I called behind me as I continued to run, my limp getting worse as I did. I ran and came to a giant room. There were waterfalls flowing all over. I skidded to a halt, almost falling down into the deep water. A part of the ledge broke off and I stumbled back. I watched it fall and stared in horror as the ridged piece of rock hit the giant turbine and was shredded to nothing as it hit the giant turbine. _That could've been me!_ I glanced behind me and almost screamed. "The name is Xever." He said, inches away from me, smiling in amusement. He swung a robotic leg at me, and, just my luck, I jumped back, trying to avoid the blow. I screamed as I wildly flailed my arms and legs, trying to grab anything to stop falling. I spotted a metal bar and reached out for it, barely grasping it with my hand. I heard a sickening pop as my shoulder threatened to dislocate from the sudden weight, but I fought it as I struggled to get on top of the bar. "You won't get away so easily!" I looked up and, to my horror, watched as Xever began jumping from ledge to ledge, coming down to me. I glanced to my right and down the long, dark, tunnel. I squeezed my eyes shut as I lunged for it, landing and rolling. I quickly struggled to my feet and ran.

_Raph's POV_

I froze as I heard a familiar scream echo through the tunnels. I felt like my heart had just been torn out and replaced by pure adrenaline. I ran ahead of Leo and Don as fast as I could. "Raph! Wait up!" I ignored my older brother and only sped up. I screeched to a halt when I came to giant room with water falls and an always turning turbine. I glanced down and saw a familiar, orange clad turtle, leaping down to a lower ledge. He was getting ready to jump down to another low ledge. "Mikey!" I called out. He freaked out and lost his balance. "AAAAUUUGHH!" he cried out as he began falling. "NO!" I jumped down and landed on a metal beam. I grabbed the rope Don had given us and caught Mikey's foot in a lasso. I pulled as hard as I could, gently swinging him to a lower ledge. "Raph!" I heard Leo's voice from the high ledge, but didn't reply, never taking my eyes off of Mikey. When he was stably planted on the ledge, I jumped down to him. "What were you thinking?! Why on earth—" "Raph, Fish-Face is chasing Kai! I saw them! She's this way! C'mon!" Mikey interrupted, grabbing my wrist and pulling me as hard and fast as he could. Leo and Don were still making their way down as Mikey ran, half dragging me behind him. He let go and I followed him, trying my hardest to keep up. Mikey was the fastest of all five of us unless you said 'sushi' or 'spider' to Kai. _I hope you're right, bro… For your and Kai's sake…_

_Normal POV_

"Come out, come out, where ever you are…" I clenched my teeth as I tried to stay quiet. I was laying on a dark ledge near the ceiling, hoping to evade Xever. I watched as he menacingly strutted by, trying to find me. _I don't even know this guy and he's out to kill me! What did I ever do to him?_ As he walked farther down the tunnel, I made break for it. I quietly climbed out and down from my hiding place and snuck quickly around the corner. I heard him coming back, so I hid behind some sewage tanks. _Grooooossss! Smells terrible!_ I wrinkled my nose and tried to ignore the scent as I tried to think of a way out of there. _Okay… I'll wait for him to go that way and then… I'll split… Yhea…_ As he began walking back the other way, like in my plan, I readied myself for my escape. _Okay. One… Two… And—_Suddenly, my phone rang out loudly, startling me enough to make me yelp and jump up, making sure that every possibility of stealth were exterminated. _Aw, Shell!_ I frantically searched my pockets and yanked my phone from my pocket, hurting my arm with my sudden jerks and movements. Xever poked his head in and smirked at me evilly. "Boo! I found you!" I gasped and threw a rock at his head, distracting the giant fish as I squirmed out and bolted. "H-hello?" I stammered, tripping, but still running. "Kai! Thank goodness! Where are you? Are you okay?" Donnie's voice asked. "I'm lost, being chased by a giant fish who wants to kill me, I'm tired and cold… And, and… I'm scared!" I cried out to him on the verge of tears, feeling more pathetic than ever. "Don't let him get me, Donnie! Don't let him eat me!" I heard his footsteps in pursuit, startling me. I stepped wrong and fell with a harsh thud. I reached for my fallen phone, but Xever grabbed it. "Sorry, but this line ends now." He said into the phone before crushing it. I gasped as I tried to scoot away. "Nowhere to run now." He laughed as he approached me. "Too bad… I was looking forward to a good fight…" He raised a metallic foot so he could crush me. I flinched away and could only wait. "Farwell, chica." Suddenly, I heard him gasp and fall after I had heard a chain wrapping around something. I opened my eyes to see Mikey and Raph. "Mikey! Raph!" I exclaimed, shocked. Mikey bolted over to me and took a defensive stance. He helped me up, but never moved from where he stood in front of me. Raph and Xever were fighting, but Raph got pinned and was about to be bitten by the giant fish. "Oh, no!" I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut and clinging to Mikey's shell. I heard the clang of metal, so I opened my eyes to investigate. Leo had swiped Xever's metallic legs out from under him with one katana and had blocked Xever's bite from making contact with Raph with his other katana. Don helped Raph to his feet and they rejoined the fight. I couldn't stop shaking… I was terrified. Mikey must've noticed and had brought me into a warm, protective, embrace, one hand still holding a nun-chuck and the other holding me close. "You'll regret this, turtles!" Xever said in defeat as he turned to retreat. "That's what you get! Stay away from Kai, or I'll make you regret every breath you've ever taken! You hear me?!" Raph yelled after him. I clung to Mikey out of fear and because my leg couldn't hold me up anymore. I couldn't fight the sobs that escaped me as I realized I had put all four of my brothers I some sort of danger. Mikey put his nun-chuck away and hugged me closer, gently holding the back of my head to his plastron. "Shh…" he cooed quietly. The others had come over and made a protective circle around me and Mikey. When I had finally calmed down, I was exhausted and my leg hurt from my ankle to my hip. Donnie looked at it and had me try to bend it. It was painful, and I could barely manage to bend it. "I'll fix you up. Don't worry, Kai. I'll take care of you." I gave him a weak smile. Mikey knelt down and Leo helped me up on his back. I clutched on to Mikey, gently hugging his neck as Leo carefully pulled my hood over my head. I nuzzled closer to Mikey and felt safe. I closed my eyes and fell asleep to the calm, gentle swaying of Mikey's walking.

_Mikey's POV_

I had my little sister safely on my back and my older brothers in a circle around us. I was relieved to know she was safe and sound. I felt her gently nuzzle her head in the curve where my neck met my shoulder. I listened to her soft breathing as she slept, and I felt at peace. _Kai's okay… I made it in time._

**So, I hope you guys liked it… The teachers here at Saturday School are so pushy. :P "Why are you staring at your computer? What are you typing?" blah, blah, blah. :P Any who, that's about it. The next chapter will be coming as soon as I finish writing and correcting and whatnot. **


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